We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has-discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(調(diào)制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.
小題1:Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair because      .
A．he found a new kind of microorganism
B．he contributed much to environmental protection
C．he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time
D．he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way
小題2: Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to      .
A．make the live bacteria work betterB．test how effective his method was
C．know which bacteria worked fasterD．control the temperature in the process
小題3:
Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because       .
A．plastics can get hot easilyB．microbes can produce heat themselves
C．much carbon dioxide is producedD．the temperature can be controlled
小題4: Daniel Burd got his idea from       .
A．his school textbookB．the failure of researchers
C．his everyday workD．the practice of other people
小題1:C小題1:B小題1:B小題1:C
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Do you want to visit Warwick Castle in Britain? Warwick is a friendly and a memorable experience with something for all ages．Easily accessible by car, bus, train, cycling or on foot it is surrounded by historic buildings and numerous attractions．
Ticket Prices &Offers
Look at our online offers, Warwick-Castle, com is the only place to purchase the Ultimate Castle and The Castle Dungeon ticket at the best price．
Online bookings must be made 24 hours before you visit．Please note that admission to The Castle Dungeon is NOT included with standard online or on the day tickets．There are limited Dungeons tickets available, and only from Warwick-Castle, corn．Please book in advance to guarantee your Castle Dungeon experience．
One Day Tickets
Booking online is the best way to get your tickets for Britain's Ultimate Castle．Save 20% and skip the ticket queue when you arrive - it couldn't be easier!
If you're not sure when you want to visit then don't worry, you can still book a Flexible Ticket-valid(有效的)for any day that the castle is open during 2010．
Buy tickets online now!
Important notes on ticketing
Please note that if you wish to visit the Castle using an on-the-day promotional voucher （票券）,your Dungeon experience can be prebooked by calling 0870 442 2375．
A ￡1．50 fee applies to all bookings made online and via telephone - one fee per booking．Children must be accompanied by an adult．Group rates are available for groups of more than 10 people．Groups can book by calling 0870 442 2371 or online．
小題1:．If you hope to visit Castle Dungeon, you should __    __．
A．buy the ticket in person
B．dial 0870 442 2371
C．book the ticket from Warwick-Castle, corn
D．book the ticket two days in advance
小題2:．What is the advantage of booking tickets on line?
A．You don't have to wait in queue．
B．You can save ￠20 in total．
C．The ticket includes the Castle Dungeon．
D．The ticket is available at any time．
小題3:．In order to buy group tickets, __    __．
A．you should dial 0870 442 2375
B．bookings can be made by emails
C．there should be at least 20 people
D．you should dial 0870 442 2371
小題4:．The text is probably taken from ____．
A．a(chǎn) newspaper
B．a(chǎn) magazine
C．a(chǎn) geography book
D．a(chǎn) website

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages?  The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway.  This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders（火蜥蜴）and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.  You might see an animal overpass!
小題1: The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that __________.
A．wild animals have become more dangerous
B．the driving condition has improved greatly
C．a(chǎn)n increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
D．the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
小題2:From the story, we know an eco-passage is __________.
A．a(chǎn)n underground path for cars
B．a(chǎn) fence built for the safety of the area
C．a(chǎn) bridge for animals to get over a river
D．a(chǎn) path for animals to cross the road
小題3: When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on” (Para. 6), he means __________.
A．a(chǎn)nimals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B．a(chǎn)nimals are crossing the road in groups
C．a(chǎn)nimals are increasing in number
D．a(chǎn)nimals begin to learn to use eco-passages
小題4: The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because __________.
A．wild animals may attack carsB．they may see wild animals on eco-passages
C．they may see wild animals in the parkD．wild animals may jam the road
小題5: The best title for the passage is __________.
A．Special bridges help animals cross the road
B．Endangered animals increase because of roadkill
C．Animals fail to cross the road
D．Take steps to protect animals in danger

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket. It caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I'm very sorry for this.
Much love   
Sarah     
小題1:Why did Sarah write to his parents?
A．He missed them very much for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
B．He told his parents what he had done in school.
C．He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school.
D．He thought he was old enough to help them do something.
小題2: Where did Sarah smoke?
A．In the classroomB．In the Dinning hall
C．In the streetD．In the dormitory
小題3: Why was the school master angry with him?
A．Because he was too naughty
B．Because he was too lazy
C．Because he caused a big fire
D．Because he stole something from the school
小題4:According to the passage, what should the students not do?
A．They should not smoke, because smoking is dangerous to them
B．They should not dance, because dancing would waste a lot of money
C．They should not make friends, because making friends would take them absent
D．They should not wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

All sorts of items become litter(垃圾) but two of the most common and most dangerous are cigarette butts（煙頭) and plastic bags. Litter is a big problem for our environment but it is a problem that individuals can easily do something about. Not littering at all or cleaning up litter, such as  cigarette butts and plastic bags, greatly improves the quality of our environment.
Although cigarette butts, are small, they are bad for the environment. Over 1,600 billion cigarette are smoked each year in China and large quantities of the butts are thrown away. Worldwide, about 4. 5 trillion butts are littered every year. Apart from the fact that butts spoil the beauty of the environment, they contain some very toxic chemicals. These find their way into the water supply where they decrease the quality of the water and endanger plants and animals that live there. So, if people have to smoke, they shouldn't throw away the butts but put them in the rubbish bin instead.
Plastic bags are another common form of litter that is a danger to the environment. There areseveral reasons for this. They are made from oil and gas, which are non—renewable resources. If they are not recycled, these resources are lost to us. In China, 2 billion plastic bags are used every day. An enormous number of these become litter. This is a huge problem because they last from 20 to 1,000 years in the environment. They float easily in the air and water and travel long distances. They find their way to rivers, parks, beaches and oceans. Plastic bags kill up to one million seabirds, 100, 000 sea mammals and countless fish each year worldwide. It is up to people not to let plastic bags become litter. It would be better if they used fewer and recycled them.
Cleaning up your cigarette butts and plastic bags would improve the environment. And we would know that we were doing something to look after our planet. However, I believe the best solution would be not to smoke or use plastic bags at all.
小題1: Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
A           B.         C.          D.
( ①=" paragraph" 1; ②=" paragraph" 2; ③=" paragraph" 3; ④a paragraph 4 )
小題2:The word “toxic” in the paragraph 2 most probably mean “________”
A．preciousB．extraC．poisonousD．useless
小題3: From the text. we know the fact that_________
A．Chinese smokers litter up to 4. 5 trillion butts every year
B．people in the world use 2 billion plastic bags in a single day
C．plastic bags cause 1 million deaths of seabirds each year worldwide
D．the butts can last 20 to 1,000 years in the environment of China
小題4: What's probably the best title of the passage?. Clean Up Your
A．Say Goodbye to SmokinB．Protect the Endangered Sea Animals .C．Use Paper Bags NowD．Clean Up Your Butts and Bags

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Three years ago I listened to a lecture on cognition (認(rèn)知) that changed the way I think about intelligence. There are two types of cognition. The first is normal cognition: the ability to regain knowledge from memory. The second type of cognition is metacognition: the ability to know whether or not you know.
Does this affect intelligence? In traditional education, intelligence is measured by cognitive ability. Some people can easily produce everything they know on a test. But others are awarded with poor grades and considered inferior. But does this inability make them any less intelligent? If the question came up on a task, they could refer to a book or a quick Google search. In reality they’re just as effective as the people that ace a test. They just can’t prove it as easily.
Metacognition is more important to success than cognition. A person with poor cognitive ability, but great metacognitive ability might do poorly in school, but when faced with a challenge, they understand their abilities and take the best course of action. For example, when faced with a question, a person with strong metacognitive ability will deal with it like this. If he knows the answer, but can’t come up with it, he can always do a bit of research. If he knows for sure that he doesn’t know, then he can start educating himself. Because he’s aware of his ignorance, he doesn’t act with foolish confidence. These people might not seem intelligent at first glance, but because they know what they know, they make better decisions and learn the most important things.
However, people with great cognitive ability but poor metacognitive ability may be considered excellent at a young age for acing every test and getting great SAT scores. Unfortunately, they’ve been ruined by poor metacognition: they think they know everything but they really don’t. They are overconfident, fail to learn from mistakes, and don’t understand the slight differences of personal relationships, showing disregard for persons with lower cognitive ability. They may make the worst decisions.
The most important mental power is the ability to know what you don’t know. The recognition of a fault is the first step to improvement. Don’t try to hide a lack of knowledge. For intelligent people this is the toughest lesson to learn.
小題1:People with great cognitive ability tend to _________.
A．do well in testsB．be considered inferior
C．be more effective than othersD．do research when faced with a task
小題2:The underlined phrase “take the best course of action” probably means _________.
A．starting educating himselfB．taking action during the course
C．making the right decisionD．coming up with many ideas
小題3:People with poor metacognition may not succeed because they_________.
A．lack basic moral valuesB．have improper self-evaluation
C．fail to communicate with othersD．show little respect for others
小題4:The author probably supports the idea that _________.
A．intelligence is measured by cognitive ability
B．cognition is the most important mental power
C．the toughest lesson is to distinguish the two types of cognition
D．the awareness of one’s ignorance contributes to one’s improvement

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Adult butterflies use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry predators.
Sight
Butterflies have large, compound (multifaceted) eyes, which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a large stand of flowers rather than individual plants. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but sense polarized（偏振的） light, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar （花蜜）sources.
Smell
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one). Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones).
Taste
Butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar, letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also taste host plants in order to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies and moths feed using a proboscis, a long, coiled tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Hearing
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they "hear" sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet because their anatomy is very different than ours, and therefore difficult to understand when perceived through our own human senses.
小題1:From the passage we can know that butterflies can see_____
A．thing behind themB．thing in the distance
C．most bright colorsD．flower nectar from a distance
小題2: Butterflies can easily find food resources by using their______.
A．sense organs of sight and smellB．sense organs of sight and taste
C．sense organs of smell and hearingD．sense organs of smell and taste
小題3: How do butterflies feed themselves?
A．by using their feetB．by using a tube.
C．by using sense receptorsD．by using their wings.
小題4:What is the passage mainly about?
A．The food sources of butterflies.B．The habits of butterflies.
C．The unusual body of butterflies.D．the sense of butterflies.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he’ll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand c. c. s into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.
It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father’s clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley’s clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too.
Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he’d been using to examine a family of mites(螨蟲). He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.
It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn’t know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, to shocked to speak.
小題1:Finchley disappeared because ________.
A．he took something poisonous
B．he was changed into a dust mite
C．his father’s clothes totally covered him up
D．what he and his colleagues invented resulted in his disappearace
小題2: It frightened Dawson to see Finchley _______.
A．got into his scope by accidentB．was waving through his telescope
C．suddenly got lost in his clothesD．gradually disappeared in the lab
小題3: It can be inferred that Finchley, Dawson and the writer have possibly invented _____.
A．some kind of medicineB．a(chǎn) new powerful microscope
C．a(chǎn) machine to make people smallD．a(chǎn) new way to make a culture of mite
小題4: It can probably be concluded that Finchley ________.
A．passed out there and thenB．is not fit to be a scientist
C．is a devoted scientistD．will remain tiny all the time

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is “no”. It isn’t the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools which make him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigation, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further; he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer he gets to many questions is into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist’s knowledge must be exact. There’s no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration(實(shí)證) must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason why investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the Theory of Relativity, arrived at the theory through mathematics. The accuracy(正確性) of his mathematics was later tested through investigation. Einstein’s ideas were proved to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations(計(jì)算) that may test his investigations
小題1: What makes a scientist according to the passage?
A．The tools he uses.B．His ways of learning
C．The way he uses his toolsD．The various tools he uses
小題2: “…knowing how to investigation, how to discover information, is important to everyone.”
The writer says this to show ___________.
A．the importance of information
B．the difference between scientists and ordinary people.
C．the importance of thinking
D．the difference between carpenters and ordinary people
小題3: A sound scientific theory should be one that _________.
A．works under one set of conditions at one time and also works under the same conditions at other times
B．doesn’t allow any change even under different conditions
C．Can be used many times under different conditions
D．Can be used for many purposes
小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Scientists are different from ordinary people.
B．The Theory of Relativity.
C．Exactness is the core (核心) of science.
D．Exactness and way of using tools are the keys to making of a scientist.

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